The court demands: “Work harder!”
The Royal Swedish Court wants Madeleine and Carl Philip to work more. The two younger siblings had only a little over 40 official assignments last year.
“They will substitute for the Crown Princess more during 2012,” says Bertil Ternert, Director of the Information and Press Department at the Royal Court. There were months last year when Carl Philip and Madeleine did no representing for Sweden at all, and Madeleine canceled some obligatory events, among them the Nobel Prize celebrations. She has instead worked for the Childhood Foundation in New York. In spite of the fact that the foundation is a separate organization, all her trips have been marked on the calendar on the Royal Court’s website.
“I look at that work as my contribution to charity,” the princess said in an interview with Swedish daily business newspaper Dagens Industri. “The same goes for the trips I do as a project manager (there) – they are paid for with my private economy.”
The King had, as the head of state of Sweden, the most assignments during 2011, closely followed by Queen Silvia. Prince Daniel has, since he received his title, also gotten more assignments. Carl Philip recently graduated from the University of Agricultural Sciences in Alnarp, and said in an interview: “There will be more official assignments now that I am done with my studies.” Both he and Madeleine are expected to do their share, as Victoria takes some time off after she has her baby (due in March). “It’s only natural that the Prince will have more assignments here in Sweden,” said Ternert. Princess Madeleine remains in New York, where she will do much of the representation of Sweden. “But she also has assignments here at home,” Ternert added.